• About
  • Archives
  • Advertising

NYCPPNEWS

NYC Production & Post News

  • Home
  • Directory Listings
    • The Standby Program
    • Brooklyn College
    • Brooklyn Workforce Innovations
    • Columbia University Film Program
    • Downtown Community Television Center
    • Electronic Arts Intermix
    • Film Biz Recycling
    • Freelancers Union
    • Independent Filmmaker Project
    • Manhattan Edit Workshop
    • Mediakite Training Center
    • New York Film Academy
    • New York Film/Video Council
    • New York Institute of Technology
    • New York Production Alliance
    • New York Video School
    • New York Women in Film & Television
    • NYU Film & Television
    • Post New York Alliance
    • The Independent Film School
    • International Film Institute of New York
    • The New School – Documentary Studies
    • The New School — MA in Media Studies
    • Union Docs
    • Upstate Independents
    • Syracuse Film Office
Home » Hiccup Media Adds Fashion Shooter Poliquin to Build on Full Service Strategy

Hiccup Media Adds Fashion Shooter Poliquin to Build on Full Service Strategy

In 2006 when former agency producer Rob Simone and editor/director Michael Cruz decided to abandon their successful careers at top ad agencies like Grey Worldwide, and BBDO to start Hiccup Media, they envisioned the company as a one-of-a-kind full-service boutique – a small, yet nimble resource, offering clients an array of services including creative strategy, content production and post. Eight years later, not only is the business model they pioneered now the norm, but Hiccup is again ahead of the curve thanks to the addition of noted international fashion director John Poliquin, and a redesigned website that highlights the approach, the clients and the work that is the basis of Hiccup’s success.

“When we launched eight years ago the economy was struggling and ad budgets were tightening,” Simone says. “We saw an opportunity to integrate all we learned at the major agencies in terms of creative strategy, client service and execution, but on a boutique level. Hiccup was born and quickly clients began to see the potential of working with a team that wasn’t just bundling production services, but was functioning as a true creative agency.”

Distinctive Approach
That distinction is key for Simone. Most companies that bill themselves as full-service creative boutiques, he says, are generally production or post/design focused, offering very little in the way of creative strategy or the ability to internally manage retainer clients on a day-to-day basis.

“For example, at most full-service boutiques when an agency like Grey Worldwide calls about a project for a series of online videos for E*TRADE, their response is ‘great, what’s the concept?’” Simone says, referring to one of the Hiccup’s long-time clients. “Our response is ‘what’s the goal?’ That’s a key difference in mind-set, and it’s why Grey assigned us the entire E*TRADE Investor Online Education account.”

Six years later that relationships has resulted in Hiccup producing over 100 E*TRADE videos and counting, featuring both live action and animation, that have been viewed by millions – an unprecedented engagement metric not just for the company, but the online educational video sector as a whole.

That scenario is the norm rather then exception for Hiccup, which continues to partner with top ad agencies (they’ve worked with Grey Worldwide on client pitches that resulted in millions of new business revenue for the agency since 2012), as well as work directly with small to mid-size companies looking to standout in their market.

All of Hiccup’s creative services – including creative content development, live action production, editorial/post, animation/motion graphics and branding/design for an array of clients — is outlined effectively on the company’s newly redesigned website http://www.hiccupmedia.com.

New Directing Talent
Looking to stay ahead of the curve talent-wise and address a growing need for directors comfortable in the fashion/lifestyle niche, Hiccup has added award-winning fashion/lifestyle shooter John Poliquin. His impressive reel includes ads for a range of international brands, including Urban Outfitters, Diet Coke, Burberry and H&M.

An award-winning filmmaker originally from Canada, Poliquin is also known for his music video work, which includes a 2012 Juno Award. He also directed “Grave Encounters 2,” the 2012 sequel to the found-footage cult horror favorite (click here for John’s IMDB page), as well as shot videos for “The Next Star,” a popular talent show airing on the youth-oriented Canadian television network YTV.

“John brings to Hiccup an impressive body of work from commercial to music videos to feature length film,” Simone says. “He’s equipped with both a creative eye, as well as a technical one and always delivers top-notch, engaging content. His reel is a testament to his amazing story-telling abilities, and is strong evidence that John is on his way to becoming a directing superstar.

About Hiccup Media
In 2006, we believed that brands were developing a need for a different type of agency. With the growing demands for video, mobile and content in general, a secondary more nimble firm was becoming more of a necessity. Hiccup Media was founded to meet that demand. We believe that broadcast work and non-broadcast work are equally important and dually essential pieces of a brand’s strategy. Therefore, we develop creative timing and cost solutions that make sense in today’s industry and we never sacrifice quality. For more info go to http://www.hiccupmedia.com.

About Dan Ochiva

New York City-based journalist and NYCPPNEWS founder Dan Ochiva writes and consults on film, video, and digital media technology.

Community & Partner Links

How Sony’s New Virtual Sound Technology Can Change How We Hear Films

Kami Asgar and Jessica Parks are post-production heavyweights who work with major studios, namely Sony. As a sound designer (Asgar) and as a post executive (Parks), their collective resume touches on everything from Apocalypto to Grandma’s Boy to Venom.

Parks has recently shifted her focus from supervisor to hands-on sound design, and we talk about how it’s never too late to pivot on your career path and find the thing you love doing wherever you are in life.

Click on this link to read the rest of the article on No Film School’s site.

NJ – Governor Murphy signs $14B Incentive Program Bill – the NJ Economic Recovery Act of 2020

 Film tax credits — amending existing programs to include provisions for so-called New Jersey film partners and New Jersey film-lease partners and allowing an additional $200 million of tax credits annually over 13 years.

Click this link if you want to read the full article on the Lexology site. http://bit.ly/35NtDx6

Film Commish announces date for production restart

In her December 18, 2020 news update, MOME Commissioner Anne del Castillo announced that the Film Office is now accepting permit applications for production activity that begins on July 27th.

She also announced awards now (Awkwafina) and more. To read all of the Film Commish’s bloggy sort of news column, click here.

Stimulus Offers $15 Billion in Relief for Struggling Arts Venues

The coronavirus relief package that Congressional leaders agreed to this week includes grant money that many small proprietors described as a last hope for survival.

For the music venue owners, theater producers and cultural institutions that have suffered through the pandemic with no business, the coronavirus relief package that Congress passed on Monday night offers the prospect of aid at last.

To read the full article on The New York Times’ site, click here.

If you want to start production, here’s the latest news from the Mayor’s Office

Phase 4 production guidance is available on the Film Permit website. All production activity, whether it requires a Film Permit or not, must comply with New York Forward Industry Guidance.

For more information see, please refer to the State Department of Health’s Interim Guidance for Media Production During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Please review the guidelines and FAQ before submitting permit applications. The Film Office is operating remotely, so please allow additional time for Film Permit processing.

The above paragraphs contain links to the various FAQ – just mouse over the relevant words.

Nikon to Stop Making Cameras in Japan

Nikon has fallen on hard times as of late as its camera sales have cratered, and now there’s a new indicator of how dire its financial situation is: the company is reportedly pulling the plug on making cameras in Japan after over 70 years of doing so.

To read the full article on Petapixel’s site, click here.

NVIDIA Uses AI to Slash Bandwidth on Video Calls

NVIDIA Research has invented a way to use AI to dramatically reduce video call bandwidth while simultaneously improving quality

What the researchers have achieved has remarkable results: by replacing the traditional h.264 video codec with a neural network, they have managed to reduce the required bandwidth for a video call by an order of magnitude. In one example, the required data rate fell from 97.28 KB/frame to a measly 0.1165 KB/frame – a reduction to 0.1% of required bandwidth.

To read the rest of this article on Petapixel, click this link.

 

 

 

Union Health Plan Dodges Film Workers’ Suit Over Virus Relief

Law360 (October 9, 2020, 5:22 PM EDT) — The Motion Picture Industry Health Plan’s board can’t be sued under ERISA for allegedly flouting its duties when it relaxed plan rules in response to COVID-19, a California federal judge has ruled, nixing a proposed class action filed by two cinematographers who still couldn’t qualify for benefits.

In an order entered Thursday, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the board of directors’ motion to dismiss Greg Endries and Dee Nichols’ Employee Retirement Income Security Act suit accusing board members of breaching their duty to treat all plan participants fairly.

Endries and Nichols, members of Local 600 of the International Cinematographers Guild, said in July that the board left them and others “out in the cold” in its attempts to address the problems COVID-19 caused for plan participants.

But Judge Klausner agreed with the board’s contention that the case, which alleged a fiduciary breach, should be tossed because plan administrators don’t act as fiduciaries when they amend health care plans.

Read the full article on the Law360 site by clicking here.

Russo Brothers Received Close to $50 Million From Saudi Bank

Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo photographed at the PMC Studio in Los Angeles for the Variety Playback Podcast.

The Russo brothers, directors of the all-time top grossing film “Avengers: Endgame,” quietly secured a roughly $50 million cash infusion for their production company AGBO from Saudi Arabia earlier this year, multiple sources tell Variety.

In a deal brokered and closed at the beginning of the pandemic, the Russos received the investment from an undisclosed Saudi bank in exchange for a minority stake in the brothers’ Los Angeles-based shop.

  • About
  • Archives
  • Advertising
Copyright © 2021 NYCPPNEWS | Site Built with Studio Press Genesis